Hello Everyone:

Has anyone in this group run across or developed a key generation system requiring a unique key code for each user on first run of a FM shareware standalone runtime solution (i.e., similar to the install codes we entered when loading FMP Developer). I'm using VISE as the installer for both Mac and Win.

Vise has registration key code capability, but how would one protect against someone installing and then bypass the installation requirements by recompressing the files without the registration code (with, say for example, Alladin's Stuffit

I'm not sure what you are trying to do: lock the shareware copy onto the user's machine? Allow the user to run the product for x days? Uses? What does Vise have to do with it? Are you trying to protect the install package or the solution once it's installed?

There is a free plugin that I've used in developing a copy protection scheme based on locking the solution to the user's hard drive. David McKee, a frequent contributor to this forum, has an encryption routine based on RC4 (or greater) that is available for both the Mac and PC. That by itself is necessary, but not nearly sufficient.

Check www.fmfiles.com and www.fmplugins.com. I think his site may be called www.protolight.com but I'm not sure.

Be aware that there is a substantial amount of work involved in doing this if you want a reasonably secure solution.

[ December 11, 2001: Message edited by: Steveinvegas ]

Thanks Steve. I'll look into the plugin. Technically, I am trying to protect the install and then use the registration key code to verify reg key code at startup each time (establishing a fingerprint (the unique key code) if the product is installed and then recompressed with a different utility.

Although I have thought about locking the shareware solution to a user's specific machine, (due to time constraints) my client at this time is just looking for the shareware product to require and verify a unique key for each user--by itself a formidable task. An example of this would be Adobe products on CD have a 24 character registration key code (XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX) that is unique for each purchaser. The VISE installer is set to require this info on install. However, after install, the Adobe product has stored and continues to use this information for product registration verification purposes on the user's machine.

Preconfiguring each registration code into the shareware solution is neither elegant nor a viable solution since this could easily run into thousands (possibly tens of thousands) of unique registration numbers if the product is even moderately successful. I would think that an algorithm in a calc field that can generate many unique valid registration codes from one or more fixed string fields is the solution. The registration codes could then be printed on labels for distribution with the CD or via email. Upon the user entering the code into the registration field, the code would then need to be verified as one of the many authentic product key codes. Is this possible?

The product will be distributed on CD and electronic download will be available later. My client would at sometime in the future like to provide 'X' day trial capability, but for now is just looking to verify that the installed version has a valid unique registration number.

Thanks again,

Marc

Given the problem with potentially supplying thousands of install codes, I found it much easier to give the user a free 15 day trial after which the solution dies if not purchased. You then can protect against further installs, and lock the software to the hard drive. An additional advantage is that the same CD install disk can be used by other users.